Chapter 21: Betrayal

Shiori didn’t know how much power Motohara had, but she felt that Symphon had only a fraction of his original power remaining.

Time seemed to slow again, like when Symphon was about to impale Motohara. She saw the horrid black dagger moving toward Symphon’s throat. It was a straightforward stab, with Motohara’s weight lunging behind it.

Motohara dove knife-first, face contorted in focus and rage. In that moment Shiori saw him as a Kryptopedian. He was Mores Praetor. He had lived and survived in the dark world of Kryptopeda within the nightmarish house of Praetor.

Mores was a fully powered Speaker, and Symphon’s power had been shaken useless by Shiori during their fight.

The last thing she saw as Mores’ dagger raced to Symphon’s throat was the betrayal in Symphon’s eyes.

She knew his true name, so she must have stolen his Grimoire. The portal had started near her location. Had he figured out she had been hiding the Reverse Mirror from him?

Worst of all, he had shown her his memories. He had grown as a distrusted Speaker among a people that had sheltered his mother when she had run from Duke Praetor himself. She had betrayed him to a Praetor.

Then Symphon moved. He might not have had enough power to rip apart buildings or summon deadly spikes, but he did move aside enough to dodge the knife.

Mores took blows to the nose, ear, knee, and mouth. Shiori couldn’t follow the flurry of fists and elbows that pummeled Mores. In a panic, Mores screamed a word that pushed Symphon back ten meters.

Symphon flew backward, tumbling in the air. With a careful word he pushed air from one palm, slowing his backward spin. He flew backward, held up by the jet of air from his hand, then completed the backflip and landed on his feet.

With another muttered word he closed the distance again in the blink of an eye.

Shiori understood that she knew nothing about magic, but she had learned a lot in the past day. However, as she felt Symphon adjust to his turbulent and depleted magic reserves, she doubled her knowledge of magic in two seconds.

He was a artist, a soldier, and a nightmare in one. His mastery of Speaker magic was incredible.

He had told her that magic came from speaking a true word, that one’s connection to reality came through true knowledge, and that using that knowledge accomplished magic but disturbed that connection.

Shiori had disturbed his tranquil pools of power when she called his name, weakening him. Each use of the power disrupted that power, and he had to wait until it was calm again to use it.

Despite his power being dashed into chaos, he found instances of calm even in roiling waters. Shiori felt his control, even if she couldn’t have put it into words.

He used that power to slam into Mores at bone-breaking speed. Mores flew from the impact and bounced once on the road, the asphalt tearing at his Kryptopedian leather armor.

Symphon gave his opponent no quarter. He picked up a rock and nearly brought it down on Mores. Mores gasped a word which hit Symphon with a gale of icy wind that froze the surface of every house on the street.

Mores scrambled away as Symphon steadied himself against the wind.

Mores spoke another word, and Symphon swayed. Shiori felt horrible vertigo through her connection to Symphon. Mores spoke another word, and unspeakable fatigue struck Symphon.

As Mores stood, he spoke one word after another. His left arm hung at an odd angle, clearly broken, but his magical attack on Symphon did not relent. Hunger struck Symphon, then the sensation of falling. Soul-breaking loneliness followed.

The emotions hit Symphon in series and without mercy. His shoulders bowed under the assault. Confusion. Fear. Rage. Helplessness. Worry.

“Now, Shiori!” Mores said, pausing the rain of mind-control spells on Symphon. “Speak his name again!”

Symphon glanced at Shiori, turning his head back to look at her. Their eyes met. Betrayal. The emotion hit her through their connection harder than any spell. She had betrayed him.

He lifted the rock in his hand. If she spoke his name again and weakened him afresh, he wouldn’t be able to fight back. He summoned enough magic to propel the rock like a bullet from a gun. It would easily kill Shiori at this distance.

He dropped the rock.

Shiori stood with her mouth open. She could feel his emotions, but couldn’t understand them. Why wasn’t he mad at her?

An arc of pain lanced through Symphon that was so intense and pure, Shiori fell to her knees before she could cut their connection.

Mores had recreated the snake-like whip of red light from his dagger. The dagger’s blade had shattered during the fight, but the red light still came from the jagged edges of the knife in Mores’ hand.

Mores lashed the red whip over Symphon again. Shiori winced, remembering the pain. She wasn’t sure how much came through their connection. Had she felt only half? A tenth?

Symphon stood, even as the red lash landed again. He winced, but stood. He readied to attack Mores again.

Shiori was sure one of them would die if this went on longer. It was a miracle no one had died yet between the fighting and the portal. She thought of an idea and pulled out The Last Word, dropping her bag in her haste.

She read aloud. The snake-like red whip from Mores’ knife collapsed into red sparks like a failing electrical line. Mores cursed and failed to recreate the whip.

Reading aloud could suppress Speaker magic, which might sound silly to a person to whom reading was common instead of a forbidden art. Speakers jealously hide their books. They would never risk bringing them into battle.

Reading aloud was only especially powerful depending on the writing. Writing from a Royal was supposed to be powerful but Shiori knew The Last Word was a powerful book.

She began reading of her escape from the shadows at her own home. She had the presence of mind to reconnect to Symphon. The words read aloud roiled his power like a stormy sea. She was sure Mores felt the same way.

She paused, ready to start reading from the next paragraph. She risked a glance at the other two. “Now, can we maybe stop this fighting?”

“If I don’t return with something, I’m dead.” Mores answered, staring at Symphon with naked hate.

“The only good Praetor is a dead one,” Symphon answered.

“Okay, I guess not,” Shiori said exasperated.

Mores’ hand moved quickly to a belt. He tossed a small glass vial that broke on the street. Black smoke spread, gaining ground and height rapidly.

From the dark smoke, shadows climbed with red eyes and sharp claws.

“Get him,” Mores said, directing the shadows at Symphon.

They attacked, and Symphon dodged back, unable to use his magic after Shiori’s reading from the book. He also lacked weapons to handle the sharp claws.

Shiori was too focused on Symphon’s plight to notice Mores running at her. He knocked the wind out of her as he picked her up with his unbroken right arm.

Symphon noticed too late that the shadows were to keep him from guarding Shiori. She barely held The Last Word as Mores hefted her toward the portal.

She saw Symphon fight to push through the shadows, now heedless of the claws raking at him as he tried to reach her. “Princess!” he yelled as he disappeared from her sight.

She was inside the portal. It tore at her mind, thoughts, and skin. It was an unkindly torn wound in reality, and it was painful to enter. Before she fell into Kryptopeda, she saw her mother.

Tsubume was holding her mother back, who was trying to reach her daughter as the portal took her. Shiori fell through the portal before she could say goodbye.